Many new buildings talk a big game about the jaw-dropping views and luxurious amenities to be enjoyed on their roof decks, but the roofs themselves tend to be aesthetically uninspired and a mish-mash of mechanical units and a cacophony of thoughtless enclosures. There is something to be said for the rooflines of many of New York's prewar architecture, however, which strived to make a statement in the skyline and inspire passersby at street level.
In the spirit of Valentine's Day, we take a look at the ten most beautiful rooflines in Manhattan. It is not surprising to note that the majority of them are New York City landmarks built during the first half of the 20th century. It would be heartbreaking to see these works of art lost, so here's an appreciation piece to our majestic pre-war icons that counteract NYC from looking like any other city. Happy Valentine's Day.
In the spirit of Valentine's Day, we take a look at the ten most beautiful rooflines in Manhattan. It is not surprising to note that the majority of them are New York City landmarks built during the first half of the 20th century. It would be heartbreaking to see these works of art lost, so here's an appreciation piece to our majestic pre-war icons that counteract NYC from looking like any other city. Happy Valentine's Day.
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“The finest landmark skyscraper in Brooklyn and one of the best Art Deco towers in New York City...The architect for the project at Halsey, McCormack and Helmer, Robert Helmer, wrote that he wanted the building 'to be regarded as a cathedral dedicated to the furtherance of thrift and prosperity.'" — Carter Horsley
The most phallic tower on our list (it is Valentine's Day), One Hanson Place is the most iconic pre-war skyscraper in Brooklyn and one of the best Art Deco towers in New York City. Erected in 1927 as the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower, the 512-foot structure was converted to 175 residential condominiums in 2006.
Designed by Halsey, McCormack, and Helmer in a Byzantine Romanesque style with Art Deco thrust, it was for many years the tallest building in Brooklyn until the fugly Brooklyner snatched the title in 2009. A series of taller buildings have risen since then, and yet none has been able to match the eminence of Brooklyn's clock tower. It is conveniently next to the Brooklyn Academy of Music, near a spaghetti of subway lines, and the Barclays Center/Atlantic Yards project.
Designed by Halsey, McCormack, and Helmer in a Byzantine Romanesque style with Art Deco thrust, it was for many years the tallest building in Brooklyn until the fugly Brooklyner snatched the title in 2009. A series of taller buildings have risen since then, and yet none has been able to match the eminence of Brooklyn's clock tower. It is conveniently next to the Brooklyn Academy of Music, near a spaghetti of subway lines, and the Barclays Center/Atlantic Yards project.
One Hanson Place, #22G (Garfield Realty Corp)
“An isolated skyscraper, a rarity in Manhattan, One Fifth Avenue was one of the first Art Deco towers in the city and it dominates Lower Fifth Avenue, Washington Square Park and Greenwich Village...."According to New York 1930 Architecture and Urbanism Between the Two World Wars," (Rizzoli, 1987), 'the tower succeeded in overthrowing virtually all specific stylistic references in favor of a simple, naturalistic composition the most notable decoration of which came from the use of light and dark bricks to simulate shadows.''" — Carter Horsley
Designed in 1927 by Helmle & Corbett with Sugarman & Berger, this is one of the city's premier residential skyscrapers. Its dark brown masonry and strong verticality make this tall setback tower quite monolithic.
The building, Christopher Gray noted in a 1992 article in The New York Times, "is one of the city's most illusionistic statements, where flat brickwork is made to appear three-dimensional through false shadow effects."
The building, Christopher Gray noted in a 1992 article in The New York Times, "is one of the city's most illusionistic statements, where flat brickwork is made to appear three-dimensional through false shadow effects."
1 Fifth Avenue, #16F (Compass)
“Until the Chase Manhattan Plaza tower in the 1960s and the World Trade Center in the 1970s ruined it, the Lower Manhattan skyline was defined by this building, 40 Wall Street, 20 Exchange Place, 1 Wall Street, the Woolworth Building 26 Broadway and the original bulbous Singer Building. It was the most famous, most important and most romantic skyline, inspiring the world with the drama and aesthetic potential of high-rise cities. " — Carter Horsley
When 952-foot-tall 70 Pine Street rose in 1932, the tower yielded only to the Empire State and the Chrysler Buildings in terms of both height and Art Deco elegance. The 2016 apartment conversion instantly propelled the slender, setback landmark into the top ranks of New York City’s Art Deco-styled apartment buildings.
70 Pine Street, #2107 (Rose Associates)
(Brown Harris Stevens)
“An appropriate neighbor to the palatial and very elegant Metropolitan Club, the Pierre is one of the city’s greatest luxury hotels and apartment buildings with stupendous views and a heavenly location....Until the incursion of the mammoth and overshadowing General Motors Building, which replaced the very impressive Savoy-Plaza Hotel, designed by McKim, Mead & White, directly across 59th Street from the Sherry Netherland, these properties along with the nearby Plaza Hotel and the Bergdorf Goodman store created the city's most impressive and distinctive urban 'square.'" — Carter Horsley
The Pierre is a New York City icon. The Parisian mansard roof adds romance to classic Central Park views. Gold-trimmed entry marquees complement the Renaissance elegance of the facade, designed by esteemed architecture firm Schulze & Weaver. The hotel has ranked among New York’s premier since its 1930 opening, and the 1959 conversion of the upper floors to co-ops only added to the building’s cachet. White-glove service is synonymous with the building’s amenities.
The Pierre, #2407 (Sothebys International Realty)
“For several decades, this was the most prominent tower on the Upper East Side and with its peaked roof, the crown of which is a discrete, working gilded chimney.
It is a major Art Deco landmark." — Carter Horsley
It is a major Art Deco landmark." — Carter Horsley
The 1930 building combines a luxury hotel with co-ops on the upper floors and offers Art Deco design, palatial layouts, high ceilings, and Central Park views elevated to a height that few other pre-war high-rises can match. Many upper-floor units span the whole floor, offering sweeping vistas in every direction.
The Carlyle, #815 (Elegran LLC)
In his excellent book, “Mansions in the Clouds, The Skyscraper Palazzi of Emery Roth,” 1986, Balsam Press Inc., Steven Ruttenbaum noted that “the San Remo’s two towers convey a lyrical, uplifting feeling, similar to the religious aura of a medieval cathedral,” adding that “the circular temples at each top, which were inspired by the ancient Greek Choragic Monument of Lysicrates that Roth had studied at the Chicago World’s Fair, reinforce those spiritual connotations."
This is the city's dreamiest apartment building, and its elegant design by Emery Roth for dividing the top of their 27-story building into two 10-story towers was the first such scheme in the city. Scarce availabilities within underscore the contentment of its residents.
The San Remo, #4C (Corcoran Group)
The Crown Building looking south down Fifth Avenue
“Next to the Helmsley Building straddling Park Avenue, the Chrysler Building, and the Sherry-Netherland Hotel, this building has the best and most ornate top in midtown and its gilded ornamentation and night-time illumination have made it the glittering "crown" of Midtown." — Carter Horsley
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The Crown Building, an ornate tower topped with an iconic copper-clad pyramid, has graced the corner of Fifth Avenue and 57th Street since 1921. Almost exactly 100 years later, a renovation transforms the former office building into The Aman, a bespoke addition to Billionaires’ Row. Residents of the 20 upper-floor condos have access to the services of the in-house hotel, which include a pool-equipped spa, a subterranean jazz club, a piano bar, a cigar bar, and a wine library. The penthouse offers a terrace with an outdoor pool and views of Central Park. See full details here.
Aman New York Residences, #16B
$21,500,000
Midtown West | Condominium | 2 Bedrooms, Unknown Baths | 3,646 ft2
Aman New York Residences, #16B (Aman Property DE)
“The Eldorado’s twin peaks dominate the cityscape around the reservoir in Central Park and accentuate its streamlined, rocketship-like Art Deco-style looks. We're shooting for the stars, ma'am! It boasts great views and it's close to the tennis courts in Central Park." — Carter Horsley
No building has added more value to Fifth Avenue apartments than The Eldorado. Its twin spires grace the romantic Central Park West skyline and appear perfectly centered behind the Jackie O' Reservoir. The ornate yet austere skyscraper designed by Emery Roth exemplifies the gradual transition from classical opulence to avant-garde modernism.
The Eldorado, #21G (Compass)
“A strong argument can be made that the Sherry Netherland is the best building in New York.
The major other contenders, of course, are the Chrysler, Empire State, Woolworth and Helmsley buildings and 570 Lexington Avenue, and some might also throw in the Plaza and Waldorf-Astoria hotels, the Seagram Building, Lever House and the San Remo apartment building.
None of those, however, really have the magic combination of romance, originality, location and drama that are to be found at the Sherry Netherland." — Carter Horsley
The major other contenders, of course, are the Chrysler, Empire State, Woolworth and Helmsley buildings and 570 Lexington Avenue, and some might also throw in the Plaza and Waldorf-Astoria hotels, the Seagram Building, Lever House and the San Remo apartment building.
None of those, however, really have the magic combination of romance, originality, location and drama that are to be found at the Sherry Netherland." — Carter Horsley
There is probably a maiden with very long hair in the minaret in need of rescue, but what knight would dare mess with this building's impressive dragons holding large lamps above the second floor. Ah, romance!
The building has graced the Central Park skyline since 1927, channels elegance from the barrel-vaulted lobby to the tip of the copper spire. The Grand Army Plaza-adjacent building has hosted residents such as pilot and entrepreneur Howard Hughes, musician Diana Ross, director Francis Ford Coppola, Jim Henson of The Muppets, and TV host and judge Judy Sheindlin, better known as Judge Judy.
The building has graced the Central Park skyline since 1927, channels elegance from the barrel-vaulted lobby to the tip of the copper spire. The Grand Army Plaza-adjacent building has hosted residents such as pilot and entrepreneur Howard Hughes, musician Diana Ross, director Francis Ford Coppola, Jim Henson of The Muppets, and TV host and judge Judy Sheindlin, better known as Judge Judy.
The Sherry Netherland Hotel lobby. Authentic luxury.
The Sherry Netherland, #1101
$4,495,000 (-9.2%)
Park/Fifth Ave. to 79th St. | Cooperative | 2 Bedrooms, 2 Baths
The Sherry Netherland, #1101 (Douglas Elliman Real Estate)
The Woolwrth Building (Alchemy Properties)
The Neo-Gothic Woolworth Building was the world’s tallest when it opened in 1913 and is among the world’s most beautiful to this day. While the broad, 30-story base remains used for offices, in 2016 the building’s slender upper portion transformed into 33 exclusive condominiums, which benefit not only from some of the city’s finest views but also top-notch services and a prime Downtown location overlooking City Hall Park.
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One of the world’s most distinguished and historic skyscrapers, the apartments offer spectacular views in most directions although there are some taller buildings, including the World Trade Center and the Four Seasons Hotel to the west.
The architect, Cass Gilbert, believed that the building’s “height should be recognized, insisted upon and expresses by vertical lines” and he opted for “the flamboyant Gothic tracery and ornament of the latter part of the 15th and 16th centuries, light, graceful, dedicated and flame-like.” — Carter Horsley
The architect, Cass Gilbert, believed that the building’s “height should be recognized, insisted upon and expresses by vertical lines” and he opted for “the flamboyant Gothic tracery and ornament of the latter part of the 15th and 16th centuries, light, graceful, dedicated and flame-like.” — Carter Horsley
The Woolworth Tower Residences, #41B
$5,990,000
Tribeca | Condominium | 2 Bedrooms, 2.5 Baths | 2,548 ft2
The Woolworth Tower Residences, #41B (Douglas Elliman Real Estate)
Honorable Mentions
Would you like to tour any of these properties?
Just complete the info below.
Or call us at (212) 755-5544
Would you like to tour any of these properties?
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